


Desire to Witness

by theLoyalRoyalGuard



Category: The Queen's Thief - Megan Whalen Turner
Genre: Multi, One Shot, a kiss between a man and his wife, happy poly fam, poor costis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-09
Updated: 2018-11-09
Packaged: 2019-08-20 21:31:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16563506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theLoyalRoyalGuard/pseuds/theLoyalRoyalGuard
Summary: Costis is summoned by his King for reasons only Eugenides (and his Queen) knows.





	Desire to Witness

Costis stared. 

He had been summoned to attend his King, which was not unusual, although given the nature of his King, it rarely turned out to be uneventful. Except when it was, and he was summoned to simply stand by the wall for an hour or five. Really, one never knew what the King might ask. 

Or what one might find when called into his presence. 

But with all the things Costis might have expected or prepared himself for, still, this particular King found a way to shock him.  
For Attolis and Attolia were kissing when Costis entered the royal chambers. They were kissing quite passionately, a very married sort of kiss, and not at all the kind Costis had any desire to witness. 

Or at least, not the kind he should desire to witness. 

The rubies in the Queen's hair were slightly askew, and she was facing away from him, apparently oblivious to his presence. 

The King, however, was not.

Attolia kissed down his neck, and he tipped his back, caught Costis' eye...

And winked. 

Costis blushed from the roots of his hair down to the soles of his boots, and he was entirely sure the King was silently laughing at him. He wished the floor would rise up and swallow him, because he could not leave. He could not move a muscle, for fear that the sound of another step or the door shutting would attract the Queen's attention. The only thing worse than the King knowing he was here, would be Attolia knowing he had witnessed her... like this. 

Except that the King had summoned him here, and had not dismissed him. He had no choice at all. 

There was a row of small buttons down from the nape of the Queen's neck to her waist. Costis had never had a reason to notice them before, and profoundly wished he hadn't now. 

Deftly, as if he did this often, the King used the point of his hook to undo the buttons. Flick. Flick. Flick. One at a time. 

Looking Costis straight in the eye, with such a gleam of wicked mischief that if Costis hadn't known him, he might have thought the man was possessed.  
Or drunk. 

He looked away, towards the window. Which did nothing to stop him from hearing her little sigh. Such a soft sound, pleasant, human. He swallowed hard and surreptitiously wiped his sweating palm on his clothes. 

Without meaning to, he found himself looking at them again. First the warm line of bare skin down her spine, tapered like a blade. Then the King, mostly hidden behind her, exultant. 

Costis gave him a pleading look, and the King relented at last. He mouthed 'you may go.'

Dismissed, Costis fled as silently as he could. He leaned against the wall beyond the Royal suite and closed his eyes. 

But even in the dark, all he could see was them, beautiful and powerful as day and night entwined. All he could see was what the King had wanted him to see. 

And he felt what the King had wanted him to feel, which was not shame, but longing. 

He closed his eyes and, warm and human like the Queen, he sighed, and desired.


End file.
